(REUTERS): Iran today (Monday) publicly confirmed that it was in talks with Saudi Arabia, saying it would do what it could to resolve issues between the two countries.
Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh, in a televised weekly news conference, said, “De-escalation of tensions between the two Muslim countries in the Persian Gulf region is in the interest of both nations and the region.”
“We welcome resolving of the issues that have existed between the two countries. We will use our best efforts in this regard,” the foreign ministry spokesperson added.
Ambassador Rayed Krimly, head of policy planning at Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry, earlier told an international news agency that talks between Saudi Arabia and Iran were aimed at reducing regional tensions.
Sunni Muslim power Saudi Arabia and Shi’ite Iran are locked in a rivalry that has played out in proxy conflicts across the region, including in Yemen. Riyadh has also blamed Tehran for a 2019 attack on Saudi oil facilities, a charge Tehran denied.
The two countries cut diplomatic ties in 2016. Earlier sources claimed that last month that Iran and Saudi Arabia had held two rounds of talks.
